Children in Australia's most remote regions are being left behind when it comes to education amid a staggering divide between the haves and have-nots, a report says.
The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre report says it is clear many of today's young children will not receive a 'fair go' in accessing education opportunities, for no other reasons than family background, demographic characteristics and geography.
The staggering divide between the most and least disadvantaged areas is a sobering reminder of the level of inequality that still exists, with many children falling far behind in educational access, performance and outcomes, the report authors said.
"Our findings show that the most disadvantaged students are averaging half the NAPLAN scores in reading, writing and numeracy as those in the least disadvantaged areas," BCEC director Professor Alan Duncan said.
The most disadvantaged areas are in Australia's very remote regions spanning the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia, where there is a dominant indigenous population.
But pockets of disadvantage are also evident on the fringes of the state capital cities, the BCEC's new index of educational disadvantage shows.
The most disadvantaged 10 per cent of children in the ACT are no more disadvantaged than the most advantaged 10 per cent of children in the NT, the report released on Wednesday said.
Prof Duncan said the transition from preschool to primary school is critical, with the report calling for more to be done to ensure those in most need of early childhood education are accessing at least the prescribed 15 hours of preschool each week.
BCEC Associate Professor Rebecca Cassells said nearly half of young people in the most disadvantaged areas are not studying until they are 17, compared with just 2.5 per cent in the least disadvantaged areas.
She said the gap in attendance rates between Aboriginal and non-indigenous students remains constant throughout primary school but deteriorates rapidly once high school commences up to year 10.
The report authors found government funding, particularly at a state level, appeared to be reasonably well targeted relative to need.
But they said the current debate on needs-based funding is missing a clear understanding of the extent to which the funding changes being proposed under Gonski 2.0 would lead to improvements in educational outcomes.
Prof Duncan said funding is not the magic bullet in narrowing the education gap in Australia.
"To reduce inequality requires so much more in the way that teaching is delivered, the way that students are engaged, the opportunities that they have after school and the partnerships between the education sector and community and business, to make sure that aspirations are raised for all."
